Blink
by citigirl13
Summary: Alternative scene to 3x11 when Stefan threatens to drive Elena off Wickery Bridge.


**This probably the most pointless thing I've ever written, but I was watching the 3x11 scene with Stefan and Elena and this idea popped in my head. I haven't written a Delena fic in a while now – I've been best with my final year at university and I honestly haven't felt the inspiration. Season 4 has been a bit of hit and miss. That being said, the "I'm Not Sorry" scene in 4x23 is everything that I wanted. I cannot do anything with that. It's perfect. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little Delena one-shot. **

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do NOT own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters**

**Blink**

"What are you doing Stefan?"

The phone rings – _her _phone. Elena can already tell by the ring tone that it's Damon. She's about to answer (funny how she's relieved that he's called. She used to dread seeing his name of her caller ID) when Stefan snatches it out her hand. Shaking off her surprise Elena glowers at him as he answers. "Hello Damon. She's a little busy right now."

Elena's stomach goes tight. She wants her phone. She wants to call Damon and beg him to come get her. She doesn't like Stefan this way. He has this look in his eyes... Before he flipped his switch she had never seen that look in his eyes. She wishes she never had.

She doesn't hear what Damon says, but Stefan's reply makes her knees go weak. "Making my next move. Let me ask you something," he says. He voice is so light that it sounds like he could be discussing the weather. "What's Klaus gonna do if he can't make any more hybrids?"

Her whole body freezes. "What?" Her boyfriend – the one that she believed was the love of her life, the one that she counted on to never hurt her – throws her phone out the window.

That's when Elena really begins to get scared.

"What are you doing?" she cries. Her voice comes out more fearful than intended, but her one chance to get help has just disappeared. _Damon. _ "Stefan let me out of this car. Do you hear me? Let me out of the car!"

He doesn't answer. He doesn't even look at her.

She turns away, uttering a curse under her breath. She's helpless. She knows that as a human she doesn't stand a chance against vampires but this is one of the few times that she actually realises it. What can she do?

_Get him to stop_, a little voice in her head whispers. _He still loves you. You know he loves you. Try hard enough and he'll stop. _

"So what's the plan Stefan?" she asks. "What's the big move you're making?"

"I took Klaus' family to make him suffer. I'm not going to let him make himself a new one."

"So what are you going to do, huh? Are you going to lock me in some cage and keep me hostage?" _Please see how stupid this is. Please. _

He looks at her then, with dark eyes and a face that could turn children to stone. "Maybe I'll just turn you into a vampire."

A vampire. The one thing that Elena has _never _wanted to be. Stefan knows that she doesn't want to be a vampire. Yet here he is, threatening to turn her. He might as well murder her. For Elena it's exactly the same.

Her plan was already failing, but now she gives up any idea of trying to convince him to let her go. Instead she begins to yell, "Stop the car Stefan. _Stop the car Stefan_."

When he looks at her it's practically with indifference. Elena wants to cry, _can't you see how scared I am? Don't you understand? How can you _not _understand? _He takes his phone out again, all the while pressing harder on the accelerator. Elena's fingers grip hold of her seat of the car. Ever since her parents' accident she's never been wholly comfortable travelling in cars. She's never been able to go fast. Not as fast as Stefan is going now, so fast the trees are blurred shapes and the while lines on the road disappear.

"Stefan," she hears Klaus' voice from the other end of the phone. "How nice to hear your voice."

His calmness makes it worse. _Stop him_, Elena wants to beg Klaus. _Stop him please. _

"Tell your hybrids to get out of town Klaus."

"Well that's not going to happen until I get my coffins back."

Stefan smiles and Elena's stomach does another loop. That's not the comforting smile that used to make Elena believe everything would be alright. That's not the smile of the boy who loved her. "Okay," Stefan says, "well then I'm going to drive your blood source off Wickery Bridge."

Elena looks at him.

"I don't believe you Stefan."

_He's not joking. He's serious_.

"You won't kill her."

_Won't he? _

Stefan bites into his wrist. Elena knows what he's going to do but before she can stop him his blood is pouring down her throat. In truth she is more anxious about the car which swivels on the road. Elena's eyes close and she sees it again: _mom's scream...dad's shouting...the moon rising high in the sky as the car flies off the road..._

He releases her. His blood is stained on her mouth and is layered so thick on her throat she can barely breathe. "What are you doing?" she asks weakly, though she knows. She just doesn't want to believe it.

Something in her voice makes Klaus realise how serious the situation is. "What's going on?"

"I just fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire." Stefan's voice is almost cocky as he says this. Turning a corner Elena slides into the door. A mail box zooms past the car, as fast as a shooting star. In a blink it's gone.

"You won't do it." But even Klaus sounds uncertain now. _Thank God_, Elena wants to weep. _Please stop him. _If you had told Elena would be depending on Klaus to save her life she would have told you that you'd drank too much whisky. Now she is praying that he fancies being the hero for a change.

"Really? Try me. 'Cause your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family Klaus."

Elena can see Wickery Bridge now. _The brakes suddenly don't seem to have any power. For a moment they are going so fast Elena feels invincible, as strong as the sun. The road disappears from under them and the moon rises high in the sky, the only witness... _Elena feels her heart stop.

Stefan pushes the car faster. She actually falls back in the seat, he's going so fast.

"Stefan slow down."

**xXx**

Eyes closed, he listens hard. Vampire hearing is strong but right now he's asking it to go beyond the normal boundaries. But it's _her_. He doesn't trust Stefan right now and having Elena with him is just too big of a risk. Stefan is holding is heart in the palm of his hand and he doesn't even realise. Or maybe he just doesn't care.

_Leaves rustling..._

_C'mon..._

"_Mom, why can't we have ice cream?" _

A muttered curse. _Focus. _

He remembers the way Elena's lips felt against his. As if he was finally where he belonged.

And then he hears her.

"_Stefan! Stefan, stop it!"_

**xXx**

"Fine." The words are reluctant yet Klaus spits them out. "I'll send them away. You win."

Those are the words that Elena's been wanting to hear. She gives a dry sob of relief, but the moment is short lived as Stefan is still driving fast. The bridge looms closer, appearing too fast, and Elena remembers the last time it came all too quickly.

"Stefan!" She feels tears rising behind her eyes. "Stefan stop!"

"Stop the car Stefan!" Elena is vaguely aware of Klaus' voice but she can't focus. They're still going fast, the car's not slowing down.

"_Stefan!"_

It happens in a blink. Elena feels the glass shattering before she hears the noise. A part of her brain thinks they're already in the water, they've already crashed, and she closes her eyes because she can't take it anymore – the fear is killing her. She hears Stefan's surprised shout and the sound of metal being wrenched apart. Her seatbelt hits the middle of her chest as it snaps.

Then an arm, wrapping round her waist.

She is lifted from the seat as if God himself plucked her from it. She hits something firm and feels herself flying through thin air. When she lands it knocks all the breath out her body, like she's ran straight into a brick wall. Her head bounces against the hard ground and it sends a vibration through her body.

She opens her eyes to find a pair of blue ones staring back at her.

"Elena," he says. So simply, so relieved.

She gasps. Turning her head she realises that they didn't crash. The car's brakes scream as they stop. She's lying on the concentrate floor of Wickery Bridge. It's damp, cold. Elena's hand strokes it. _It's damp. _She can feel it. She's _alive _to feel it.

She could cry.

A door bangs and Stefan emerges. He is staring at them, and Elena belatedly realises that Damon is on top of her. If this were any other time in the world she would feel embarrassed, but looking at the dark haired brother all she can feel is gratitude.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Damon looks at Stefan. Elena cannot see his expression but she can feel his anger, pulsing from his body like a drum. In an instant he is off her and upon Stefan. "What am I doing? What are _you _doing?"

"Klaus had to back off. I got him to back off."

Clearly this isn't the answer that Damon wants. Elena hears the crack and Stefan pulls away. Damon's fist comes back again and lands another punch on Stefan. The younger brother tries to fight back, but Damon is two moves ahead. Dodging and blocking his punches, Damon shoves Stefan to the floor. Instead of hitting him he kicks him, as if he were kicking a football. Wiping the blood from her lips Elena watches Damon lay into Stefan. There's something different about the way he's fighting. It's like...he's fighting to _kill_.

On weak legs Elena forces herself up. "Damon."

He doesn't stop. Stefan gives another grunt as Damon cracks a rib.

"_Damon." _

He turns. His eyes are wide and vicious, and for a moment Elena is reminded of the monster that a vampire is.

But he saved her.

She just looks at him. She does look truly pathetic, with the marks of blood still round her mouth and tears dampening her face. But it's a sight that Damon can't resist. He gives Stefan another hard kick before turning away from him, intending to forget his brother completely. He goes to Elena with open arms and the girl rushes into them. Nothing feels so good as to bury her head in his chest, to feel his arms round her. She's like a child woken from a nightmare, being soothed by her protector. She begins to cry harder and he gently shushes her. She can feel Stefan's eyes on them, but she doesn't care. Let this be his punishment.

**xXx**

Alaric and Jeremy surround her the moment she steps in the house. "What happened?" Jeremy demands, staring at Elena's face.

"Stefan," Damon answers for her. His tone is like a cold breeze. His arm is fixed round Elena's shoulders, and she's leaning too heavily on him to pull away.

Alaric looks questioningly at Elena. She shakes her head weakly. She can barely think about it, let alone explain what happened. But Jeremy and Alaric follow her to her bedroom, still asking. Once across the threshold of her bedroom she stands tall, turning round. "I want to be alone," she says to them. She sees them both glance at Damon. The vampire doesn't even look; he simply walks to the window and sits down, staring outside. She knows that he's listening intently.

"Elena," Alaric says, but once again she shakes her head and closes the door on them before they can say anything else.

Once alone Damon and Elena face each other, like magnets. At his glance her face crumbles and begins to cry again. Immediately Damon is beside her. "Shush," he says.

"How could he?" Elena asks.

Damon sighs. "He did it to get a rise from Klaus." Even to him the excuse sounds weak.

"But Wickery Bridge?" she whispers. She lifts her head to him. "Even if you wanted to get revenge on Klaus, you would never do that to me."

He doesn't reply. He doesn't need to.

He moves away, gently leading her to the bed. "Sleep," he says. "Once you go to sleep this whole day will be over." Even as he says this, he knows that Elena will never forget it.

Elena lifts her shirt from her body. She can see Damon's surprise, but in truth she is numb to it. Once again it feels like her life has broken apart like a mirror, and she has to live in the shards. Does it really matter if Damon sees her naked?

He doesn't look though. Avoiding his gaze he hands her some shorts and a top. Elena feels a stab of guilt, thinking of the times she accused him of being disgusting. He goes to the bathroom and brings her a glass of water. Already tucked in bed, she drains it and places it on the bedside table. With a hand on the lamp she pauses. "Stay with me."

His eyes say it all.

"He could come back."

"He won't," Damon says. For a moment she thinks he'll refuse, but his shoulders sag and he takes his jacket off. He literally climbs over her to get to the other side of the bed. She doesn't turn around, but feels the covers move round her. Finally he stops.

She switches out the light and lets the tears come. She thinks she's being quiet, but after a few minutes she feels Damon's hand slip into hers. He does no more, but Elena finds herself missing his embrace.

"I used to hate you," she whispers. She feels his gaze on her back. "Did you know that?"

There's silence. And then: "Yes," he answers lowly.

She closes her eyes, tears sliding down on her pillow. "Right now I can't remember why."


End file.
